Much Ado About Blackberries
One of the most influential female poets of all time, especially during the twentieth century, is Sylvia Plath. Her poetry is most well known for depicting her emotions and life story in a creative way. Plath is also widely known for committing suicide, and how her depressive feelings that led to her suicide impacted her writing. “Blackberrying,” a poem she wrote close to her death, displays these feelings well, as well as Plath’s desire to return to her childhood years when she was happier. In “Blackberrying” by Sylvia Plath, the overall theme of longing to return to childhood communicates itself through imagery, sound devices, and figurative language. Many instances exist where Plath uses imagery to appeal to all 5 senses in this poem. By enticing the readers with descriptive sensory details, the theme reveals itself with vigor. Another component of this poem is that she references the sea a plethora of times. For example, in the first stanza, Plath writes, “A blackberry alley, going down in hooks, and a sea/Somewhere at the end of it, heaving.” (3-4). The many mentions of the sea relates to her childhood because she and her father spent a lot of time by the sea when she was young. …show more content…
One may wonder how the ideas presented in this poem are relatable. Surprisingly, Plath’s emotions as she describes them are not too far off from emotions that people feel in their normal, daily lives. Even if not to such a great degree, almost everyone has experienced nostalgia, and the need to go back to the “good old days.” Is this not the same root emotion that Plath is feeling? This shows that her true motive and message in “Blackberrying” was to explain her love of her childhood as well as her desire to remain young and happy, while hopefully allowing the reader to relate as
One of the most influential female poets of all time, especially during the twentieth century, is Sylvia Plath. Her poetry is most well known for depicting her emotions and life story in a creative way. Plath is also widely known for committing suicide, and how her depressive feelings that led to her suicide impacted her writing. “Blackberrying,” a poem she wrote close to her death, displays these feelings well, as well as Plath’s desire to return to her childhood years when she was happier. In “Blackberrying” by Sylvia Plath, the overall theme of longing to return to childhood communicates itself through imagery, sound devices, and figurative language. Many instances exist where Plath uses imagery to appeal to all 5 senses in this poem. By enticing the readers with descriptive sensory details, the theme reveals itself with vigor. Another component of this poem is that she references the sea a plethora of times. For example, in the first stanza, Plath writes, “A blackberry alley, going down in hooks, and a sea/Somewhere at the end of it, heaving.” (3-4). The many mentions of the sea relates to her childhood because she and her father spent a lot of time by the sea when she was young. …show more content…
One may wonder how the ideas presented in this poem are relatable. Surprisingly, Plath’s emotions as she describes them are not too far off from emotions that people feel in their normal, daily lives. Even if not to such a great degree, almost everyone has experienced nostalgia, and the need to go back to the “good old days.” Is this not the same root emotion that Plath is feeling? This shows that her true motive and message in “Blackberrying” was to explain her love of her childhood as well as her desire to remain young and happy, while hopefully allowing the reader to relate as